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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · face · field · spell · degree · perch · key · straw

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. degree — an amount
  4. spell — letters
  5. face — to confront
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — to point toward
  8. key — the most important part
  9. degree — temperature
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. degree — from a university
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — magic
  18. face — part of the head
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — a subject
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com